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EA: Old Republic Is "The First Time An MMO Has Had A Story"
I guess when you're going for the spot held by one of the biggest games in the industry -- World of Warcraft -- you need to have a lot of fight in you. EA apparently has the bark, as CEO John Riccitiello has made some recent comments about why he sees the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic as a serious MMO contender.
Speaking to Industry Gamers, Riccitiello said that although he loves World of Warcraft and Blizzard products, "they're not the entire market." Riccitiello claimed that although The Old Republic clearly has learned a lot from WoW, the blend of the Star Wars universe and BioWare's storytelling will be an even bigger draw for gamers. Just how much will the story set The Old Republic apart? Riccitiello explained:
"...The IPs are highly different, the gameplay highly differentiated, and the stories highly differentiated. There are things that [Blizzard does] that are spectacular, and that we’ve taken lessons from. They will feel familiar to players. You’re going to come into a Star Wars environment in a Star Wars IP, a Star Wars adventure. You’re going to be coming into a BioWare story. It’s the first time an MMO has actually had a story."
Further ignoring the more plot-focused bent of recent WoW expansions, Riccitiello compared WoW quests to "a shopping list," where as The Old Republic will be "more about talking to characters, learning what’s going on, investing in it, getting emotionally attached to it."
So who wants to bet that most of Old Republic's quests will still be of the "kill 10 of this enemy" or "collect 15 womp rat pelts" varieties despite these comments?
[via 1UP]
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